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2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l iIl INVENTOR.

@nel J P44e/r/N rroe/vfr C R LARKIN BARBECUE APPLIANCE III 2-.

Re. 23,662 i May 26, 1953 c. RILARKIN BARBECUE APPL'IANCE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 30, 1949 ff'fj- 4 JNVENTOR. @ma J PL @eK/N BY/O/ 3 #fresh/Y foodstuffs generally.

Reissued May 26, 1953 BARBECUE APPLIANCE Charles R. Larkin, Toledo, Ohio, assignor of onehalf to Glen M. Larkin, Quincy, Mich.

Original No. 2,545,818, dated March 20, 1951, Se, rial No. 113,067, August 30, 1949. Application for reissue June 2.5, 1952, Serial No. 295,597`

8Claims. (01.99-421) n Matter enclosed in heavy brackets appears in the original patent but forms no part of this reissue specification; matter printed in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

- 1 I s This invention relates to improvements in a barbecue appliance adapted for mass roasting of various articles of food such as wienerwursts. frankfurters, spareribs, and other meats and One object of the invention is to aiford an appliance having a heater, a drive-shaft provided with activating means to rotate it and a removable rack `disposed on the shaft provided with numerous spits for the reception of individual particles of food to be roasted.

Another object of the invention is to construct the appliance so the revolving rack is continuously rotated and on which the food particles lare readily positioned on the spits or removed therefrom during rotation of the rack, so the supply of the food particles lto the rack and their removal is continuous.

Another Aobject of the invention is to construct the rack so that it is readily removable from the drive-shaft bodily and replaceable by j another similar rack at any time, thus to permit loading of the rack completely or partially with food particles and removal of the rack after the roasting operation shall have been completed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of interchangeable food-carrying racks by which is permitted loading of the racks with the particles to be barbecued preliminary to insertion of the loaded racks into the roasting appliance, and their removal after the roasting operation shall have been completed, and replacement of the removed rack with another loaded rack whereby the capacity of the appliance is augmented.

And a still further object of the invention is to construct the device so that the entire surface of yeach of the individual food particles, while dis- Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a removable rack y on which the food particles are loaded;

Fig. 4 is a detail side elevational view of a support for one end of the food rack, parts being in section;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of another the opposite end of the food rack;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 5 on the j line 6-6 thereof; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary end elevational view the food rack positioned on a drive-shaft therefor, shown in section through a midportion thereof.

The invention consists of a housing 9, constituting an oven, having glazed windows 9 in each endthereof, the front III ofthe housing being open. In the back of the housing is'positioned a grid II preferably formed of re clay, and

along the front of the grid at the lower end thereof is disposed a gas pipe I2 perforated at intervals for the outlet of gas which when ignited forms jets I3 by which to heat the grid.

A rotatable drive-shaft I4 extends horizontally, on one of its projecting ends of which is secured a belt pulley I5, there being bearings IB on each end of the housing for support of the drive-shaft. A motor I1, mounted upon the exterior wall on the end of the housing, is connectedwith the pulley I5 by means of a 'belt IB by which the shaft is activated.

On the drive-shaft, adjacent one end wall of.

the housing, is secured a chuck I9 (Figs. 1,5 and 6) having therein anvannular series of recesses- 29 arranged concentrically about the drive-shaft,l

and upon the opposite end portion of the driveshaft is loosely disposed a, retaining lug 2| having in its inner end an annular recess 22 that encompasses the drive-shaft, and interposed between said lug and the bearing I6 on the adjacent end wall is disposed a concentric compressionspring 23 that acts to axially move the lug inwardly on the drive-shaft. The purposes of the chuck and the retaining lug appear hereinafter. A food rack, shown generally by A, is provided which consists of an angle bar 24 having ilanges 25-25 that extend at right angles to each other,

and having at each end an extending tongue 26-26'. Preferably. the longitudinal midportion of the angle .bar alongthe juncture of its flanges is shaped arcuately to fit the curvature of the drive-shaft I4 so as to fit snugly thereon, and the tongues on the ends of the bar are adapted to be entered selectively into one of the recesses 20 in the chuck I9, or the annular recess support for sacos to the spring 23. sumciently to allow the angle bar to snugly straddle the drive-shaft and permit the tongue 2B to enter one of the recesses I0 in the chuck, which occurs upon releaseot the food rack by the operator, due to reaction ol' the spring 23. When the food rack is thus placed in operating position it rotates together 'with the drive-shaft as the latter is activated by the motor.

Upon the angle-bar 2l are secured a series of spits 2l arranged in pairs spaced apart. the spits of each pair being disposed at right angles to each other and secured to the corresponding ilanges 25-15' of the angle bar, preferably by spot. welding the spits to the corresponding anges. ,The spits are of uniform length and the ends thereof extend equally distant from the axis of the drive-shaft when the food rack is in operative position.

Operation '.grid and the gas jets, so the entire surfaces of the food particles are subjected uniformly to heat and thus become roasted in sight of the operator and the patrons. The food rack is rotated prefl erably at approximately three revolutions per minute and the food particles are removed selectiveLv after roasting by use of suitable tongs (not shown) as needed to be served. After the food particles have all been removed the rack may then be vreplaced by another loaded rack, whereupon the roasting operation is continued. Or,

- the emptied rack'may be left in operative position and other food particles impaled on the spits while the rack is in motion and thus refill the rack to any extent desired to meetthe extent of patronage.

In the use of this invention as described in the foregoing, the jood particles are evenly roasted throughout in an emcient manner. Two distinct heating media are provided, one of these media being constituted by convection )low of air upwardly in front of the grill 11 along the underside o] the cover of the housing 8 and out of the front 10. As seen in Fig. 2, the revolving food particle is carried through the path of this l,low and heated thereby for approximately one hundred eighty (180) degrees rotation of the spit.

The second of these media is radiant heat directed outwardly from the grill 11'. This heat is uniformly applied to opposite sides of the jood particles as they are rotated. it being observed in Fig. 2 that the left side of the uppermost food particle is exposed to radiation while the opposite side thereof will be similarly exposed when the particle swings downwardly one hundred eighty -(180) degrees.

The conioint application of these two heating media serves, as explained above. in the uniform and eylcient external roasting of the food par- 4 above disclosed may be resorted to by the exercise of skill in the art, without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A barbecue appliance consisting of a housing having glazed 'windows in its ends and an open fronta grid disposedin the back of the housing, heating means for the grid,- a driveshaft extending horizontally through the housing provided with bearings therefor in the ends of the housing, one end of said drive-shaft having secured thereon a pulley, a motor belted in connection with said pulley by which to activate the shaft, a chuck secured on one end portion of the drive-shaft located within the housing. a retaining lug loosely mounted on the opposite end portion of the drive-shaft provided with an annular recess, a compression spring concentric with the drive-shaft disposed between said lug and the adjacent bearing, and a food rack consisting of an angle-bar shaped to fit astride the drive-shaft, having thereon radially disposed spits arranged in pairs spaced apart and provided at its ends with tongues adapted for engagement respectively with the chuck and the retaining lug, so the food rack is rotated when the drive-shaft is actuated. said food rack being adapted to be inserted into operating position on the drive-shaft or removed therefrom by exerting end pressure of the rood rack against the retaining lug.

2. A barbecue appliance consisting of a housing having an open front, a heater disposed in the back of the housing, a drive-shaft extending through the housing between the heater and the front thereof provided with means to activate it, a food rack having an angle bar disposed astride thedrive-shaft and having locking engagement at the ends thereof with said shaft, and radially disposed spits secured on said angle bar adapted to have impaied thereon parcels of food. said food rack being adapted to be removed bodily or replaced with respect to the drive-shaft.

3. A barbecue'appliance including a housing containing a heater disposed therein, a driveshaft disposed within the housing provided with means to activate it. and a food rack removably locked in connection with the drive-shaft to activate the food rack. said food rack consisting of an angle bar disposed astride the drive-shaft and having secured thereon radially disposed spits upon which food particles to be roasted are impaled.

4. A barbecue appliance including a housing 'having an upper portion which provides a region of heated air and containing a heater, a heat conducting drive-shalt disposed within the housing provided with means to activate it, and a food rack operatively connected to the driveshaft, said food rack consistingA of the driveshaft .having secured thereon radially disposed spits upon which food particles to be roasted are impaled, said spit being arranged with respect to said heater in such a manner that each particle of food will have two of its opposite sides directly exposed to the heat of radiation from said heater for one complete revolution of said drive-shaft, said spits being constructed of heatconducting material which serves to roast the interior of the food particle impaled thereon during the roasting of the exterior thereof, said spits further being of such length as to carry the food particles through said region of heated air.

5. A barbecue appliance comprising a housing having top and side portions and an open front,

a heater mounted in said housing and providing a wall of radiant heat energy which is directed toward the central portion of said housing, said heater and said housing being so constructed as to produce a region of heated air adjacent the top side of said housing, said heated air continuously flowing from said open front adjacent said top side whereby that portion of the housing beneath the path of such flow is relatively cool so that an individual may insert his hand in such cool portion without being burned, a rotatable metallic shaft extending through the housing in substantially parallel spaced relation with said heater, and radially arranged metallic spits on said shaft which are connected to said shaft in such a manner as to provide heat-conductive connections therebetween whereby'heat transferred to said shaft will be conducted to said spits, said spits thereby being rotatable in planes substantially normal to the radiating area of said heater, said shaft being located vertically below the path followed by said heated air as it leaves said front portion, said spits further being of such length that the outer end portions thereof will pass adjacent said region of heated air, whereby each food particle impaled on a respecn tive spit will be subjected on its opposite sides to radiant heat from said heater for each revolution of the shaft and will have at least a portion thereof subjected directly to said region of heated air, each food particle also being cooked inter nally by the heat conducted to the respective spit.

6. A barbecue appliance comprising a housing having top and side portions and an open front, a heater mounted in said housing and providing a wall of radiant heat energy which is directed toward the central portion of said housing, said heater and said housing being so constructed as to produce a region of heated air adjacent the top side of said housing, a rotatable metallic shaft extending through the housing in substantially parallel spaced relation with said heater, and radially arranged metallic spits on said shaft which are connected to said shaft in such a manner as to provide heat-conductive connections therebetween whereby heat transferred to said shaft will be conducted to said spits, said splits thereby being rotatable in planes substantially normal to the radiating area of said heater, said shaft being so positioned vertically as to dispose the ends of said spits in said region of heated air, whereby each food particle impaled on a respective spit will be subjected on its opposite sides to radiant heat from said heater for each revolution of the shaft and will have at least a portion thereof subjected directly to said region of heated air, each food particle also being cooked internally by the heat conducted to the respective spit.

7. A barbecue appliance comprising a housing having top, back and side portions and an open front, a heater mounted in said housing and providing a wall of radiant heat energy which is directed toward the central portion of said housing, a rotatable metallic shaft extending through the housing in substantially parallel relation to said top portion and to the plane of said heater, said heater and said housing being so constructed as to produce a region of heated air adjacent the top side of said housing and also generally above said shaft, said top side and said open front being so related that said heated air will continuously flow out of said open front adjacent said 6 top portion along the entire distance between said housing side portions, said shaft being disposed vertically below the path which said heated air follows in leaving said open front, and radially arranged spits on said shaft which are connected to said shaft in such a manner as to provide heatconductive connections therebetween whereby heat transferred to said shaft will be conducted to said spits, said spits further being of such dimensions as to pass adjacent said region of heated air whereby each food particle impaled on a respective spit will be subjected on its opposite sides to radiant heat from said heater for each revolution of the shaft and will have at least a portion thereof subjected directly to said region of heated air, each food particle also being cooked internally by the heat conducted to the respective spit.

8. A barbecue appliance comprising a housing having top, back andside portions and an open front, a heater mounted in said housing and providing a wall of radiant heat energy which is directed toward the central portion of said housing, a rotatable metallic shaft extending through the housing in substantially parallel relation to said top portion and to the plane of said heater, said heater and said housing being so constructed as to produce a region of heated air adjacent the top of said housing and also generally above said shaft, said top and said open front being so re lated that said heated air will continuously flow out of said open front adjacent said top portion along the entire distance between said housing side portions, said shaft being disposed vertically below the path which said heated air follows in leaving said open front, and radially arranged spits on said shaft which are connected to said shaft in such a manner as to provide heat-condwctive connections therebetween whereby heat transferred to said shaft will be conducted to said spits, said spits further being of such dimensions as to pass through said region of heated air whereby each food particle impaled on a respective spit will be subjected on its opposite sides to radiant heat from said heater for each revolution of the shaft and will be subjected directly to said region of heated air, each food particle also being cooked internally by the heat conducted to the respective spit.

CHARLES R. LARKIN.

References Cited in the le of this patent or the original patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 611,595 Alderson Oct. 4, 1898 848,018 Engelhard Mar. 26, 1907 1,152,184 Kluge Aug. 31, 1915 1,702,900 Humphrey Feb. 19, 1929 1,740,729 Garvs Dec. 24, 1929 1,817,351 Cookson Aug. 4, 1931 2,182,225 Garvs Dec. 5, 1939 2,198,134 Spiegl Apr. 23, 1940 2,310,349 Bobo Feb. 9, 1943 2,470,645 Rechart May 17, 1949 2,477,183 Humensky July 26, 1949 2,502,685 Warner Apr. 4, 1950 2,520,067 Sagen Aug. 22, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Mar. 13, 1908 

